The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced updates to two key guidance documents on contraceptive use. These evidence-based guidelines are intended to assist health care providers in discussing contraceptive options with their patients. The U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2016 (US MEC) provides both new and refined recommendations for using specific contraceptive methods based on a patient’s health condition (e.g., recommendations for breastfeeding women; those being treated for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV; those under care for chronic migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, or cystic fibrosis, etc.) The US MEC was first released in 2010.
The U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use, 2016 (US SPR) addresses both common and complex questions regarding the initiation and use of specific contraceptive methods in an effort to reduce barriers to contraception access and use. New with this edition, for example, are recommendations on using medications to ease insertion of intrauterine devices. The US SPR was first released in 2013.